Our Future, Our North: Good growth - from strategy to your street Tom Riordan, Jessica Bowles, Praful Nargand, Toby Reid, David Skaith and Kiran Trehan

Tom Riordan CBE joined HM Treasury (HMT) in October 2025 as the Government’s Northern Growth Envoy. Since then, he has overseen the announcement of the most significant transformation to travel in the North for a generation through Northern Powerhouse Rail. Prior to this appointment, Tom served as Second Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), leading work on the 10 Year Health Plan and adult social care, among other government priorities. He was previously Chief Executive of Leeds City Council for 14 years, during which time he oversaw major regeneration of the city centre with 25,000 new homes built, and achieved outstanding rated children’s services, and a pioneering ‘Home First’ Adult Social Care programme. Tom undertook a secondment to the national response to Covid in 2020, and, earlier in his career, served as Chief Executive of Yorkshire Forward from 2005 to 2010, following international environmental work in the Department for Environment in the 1990s.

Jessica Bowles is Director of Strategic Partnerships and Impact at Bruntwood with areas of expertise in government policy, city ecosystems, cross-sector partnerships and civic engagement. She previously held the post of Head of City Policy at Manchester City Council, supporting work on devolution and the Northern Powerhouse. Prior to this, she held several roles during a 15-year career in Whitehall. Interested in cities and what makes them tick, her role at Bruntwood is particularly concerned with external relationships with city partners and Bruntwood’s social value agenda. She is regularly consulted for commentary on numerous macro-topics including government policy, UK economics and nationwide infrastructures.

Praful Nargand is the Founder and Director of the Good Growth Foundation, a think tank that campaigns for popular economic policies to grow the economy while reducing inequality. Until 2023, he was the CEO of Create Fertility, which he built with the mission to tackle inequalities in fertility treatment. Praful is also a co-founder of Social Impact Enterprises, which aims to drive sustainable growth. He has won innovation and business awards from The Telegraph, The Spectator and London Business School. Praful ran as The Labour Party’s parliamentary candidate in Islington North during the 2024 General Election and shaped education policy as part of Labour’s Council of Skills Advisors.

Toby Reid is Executive Director of the Pioneer Group, Europe’s leading vertically integrated platform curating innovation-focused ecosystems that increase the chance of business success.

Professor Kiran Trehan is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise, Partnerships and Engagement at the University of York. Kiran provides leadership and strategic direction in developing effective collaborations with key institutional partners, shapes the University’s relationships in York, Yorkshire and the wider North of England, and harnesses the institution’s research and teaching to help drive local and regional economic development.